6.) Muggsy Bogues
Bogues is best known for his (lack of) height, and involvement in (probably false) Michael Jordan anecdotes. One of the original Hornets, Bogues was selected by Charlotte in the 1988 expansion draft. Muggsy made his home in Charlotte for the next 10 years, playing a crucial role in the Hornets’ success in the mid 90’s.
The diminutive point guard remains one of the longest-tenured Hornets to this day, having appeared in the second most games wearing a Hornets uniform and playing more minutes than anyone else. In 632 games for the franchise, Bogues racked up 5557 assists, the most in Charlotte history by nearly 3,000. Who is in second place, you might ask?
Why that would be none other than All Pudge team captain Raymond Felton. Bogues is also the most prolific pickpocket in Hornets history. If you need fun trivia to regale your coworkers with at company get-togethers, hit them with this one: Who is the 10th leading rebounder in Charlotte Hornets history? That’s correct, Tyrone Curtis Bogues.
Statistically, Muggsy was a pretty average player. So average in fact, that his career PER is 15.0. (PER is specifically calibrated so that league average is 15.) Clearly, Bogues benefits from the length of his tenure in Charlotte, but it goes beyond that. An appearance in Space Jam introduced the league’s shortest player to the greater masses outside of basketball.
A natural underdog figure thanks to his stature, Bogues’ jovial personality and play style created a fan favorite. Charlotte continues to adore Bogues to this day; the Hornets made him a team ambassador in 2014 when they shed the Bobcats moniker.